Sighting in Gémenos, May 21, 2008
Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Sighting on May 21, 2008 in Gémenos (Bouches-du-Rhône, France). GEIPAN identified the phenomenon with certainty: it was the International Space Station (ISS) (class A).
What happened
One evening, between 10:40 and 10:45 pm, a witness noticed a bright object crossing the sky from the south toward the north-east. It was white, very bright and moving quickly, and its path curved along the way. The witness heard no sound.
The investigation, confirmed by the REseau Français d'ObseRvation des Meteores (REFORME), established that this was a pass of the International Space Station (ISS). It was visible from Aubagne that evening between 10:42 and 10:47 pm. Since its four pairs of solar panels were installed, the station can appear very bright, with a strongly negative magnitude reaching about -4. GEIPAN classified the case as A: identified.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- May 21, 2008
- Location
- Gémenos · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- A
- Explanation
- Space station (ISS)
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2008-05-01936
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.